


The Faintest Light

by dizzy



Category: Glee RPF, Starkid RPF
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-26
Updated: 2014-01-26
Packaged: 2018-01-10 02:05:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1153476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dizzy/pseuds/dizzy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Julia thought she shut a door.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Faintest Light

"We've got to stop meeting like this," Darren says, sheepish and smiling in that way he has that annoys her as much as it makes her want to smile. 

"Right," she says, not rude but not inviting more conversation, either. 

"Hey." He reaches out and grabs her arm. "What did I do?" 

They've been avoiding each other. She's been avoiding him. She always does - tries to, at least, until he corners her just like this. 

He looks like her like a kicked puppy, like he doesn't understand why she _wouldn't_ want to see him. His life is full of people who light up when he walks in the room and beg for his time and attention and it's always baffled him when he encounters someone that just doesn't like him. 

But she likes him, of course she does. That's kind of the problem. She liked him a little too much and he liked her back and it was great. And then it wasn't great, and they weren't together, and now he comes back to her like nothing's changed but she knows who she is and she knows enough about who he's become and she doesn't understand why he thinks they'd have anything in common anymore. 

He's not the guy she dated in college. He's famous Darren, celebrity Darren with a hot girlfriend and she's gained thirty pounds and hasn't had a steady job that didn't involve glorified babysitting in two years. 

She doesn't understand how he can look at her like nothing's changed. 

"You didn't do anything," she says, because it doesn't matter how frustrated and stagnated she feels in his presence, she still can't be cruel. "It's just me, okay? Stressful day, bad mood." 

"Well, let me - help. Come on. Let's get out of here, go catch up somewhere." He gives her that disarming smile and maybe it's the drinks she's had and maybe it's the fact that it wasn't even a lie, that it has been a long and stressful day. 

She looks around, just in case anyone might be needing her, but her job is really done here. Everyone is just... celebrating. Letting go. 

He was always good at making her forget the world. She looks at him and smiles a little. "Okay, fine." 

* 

It ends up in bed. 

_Of course_ it ends up in bed. 

She finds herself surprised every step of the way. From how gently he kisses her to the way he drops to his knees and wraps his arms around her, the way his pupils blow looking at her. 

She's tried not to, because she knows that she's worth more than the worst of her thoughts, but once in a while she'd look in the mirror and remember what her body used to be and what old boyfriends would think of her now. 

She imagined disappointment. Disgust. Rejection. 

But there's nothing but happiness and appreciation and she hates to admit how happy it leaves her. 

She also hates to admit how long it's been since she got laid. Falling into bed with not just an ex, but _the ex_ is probably the dumbest move she's made in a long time, but she can't regret it yet. 

"What?" He asks. 

"Hmm?" She looks over at him, pulling the blankets up a little more. 

"You were smiling." He reaches out and traces a finger along her cheek. "Hey, don't. It was cute. What were you thinking about?" 

"That you're the dumbest thing I've ever done," she shoots back, impish. 

Darren just laughs and leans in to kiss her. "Won't argue there." 

* 

She stays the night, because he asks and his bed is more comfortable than a hotel room anyway. 

Eventually she gets a text from Lauren asking where she is. It wakes her up, but Darren still sleeps undisturbed beside her. She rolls onto her side facing away from him to reply, trying to shield him from the light of her screen. 

She debates lying, but Lauren's her roommate for the night and the truth will come out eventually anyway. 

Julia types back, _Went home with Darren. DON'T TELL ANYONE._

Lauren's response is a series of exclamation marks followed by a _deets, all the deets, ALL THE DEETS_. 

_Later_ , Julia finishes, and then puts her phone aside. 

Darren's arm drapes over her middle and she feels his body warm and pressing in closer to her. "Who was that?" 

"Lauren." She closes her eyes, smiling at the closeness. Her hand covers his wrist and he turns his hand to hold hers and squeeze it. 

"Tell her we'll get breakfast," Darren mumbles. "Eggs and shit." 

"Kay," Julia whispers back, but she doesn't send that text because she's not sure if he's even entirely awake. He always had that habit of having conversations half asleep that he didn't have the faintest memory of the next day. 

God, this is a man that she _knows_ and it's been so easy to forget how she knows him. It's late and she's sentimental from sex and reconnecting in other ways and how much he's tried all night to make her laugh and make her smile. She feels the weight of his lax fingers against hers and the scratch of the hair on his chest (he shaves it now, apparently - she hopes it's just for a role) and listens to the little snores that start up and it doesn't make her feel like she's gone back in time at all, just like maybe there's a door she thought she shut all the way that still had a little crack in it after all.


End file.
